Wednesday, 19 August 2015

Greed Is Good: The Coalition

If there is one single country that did exceedingly well out of the War it has to be the Coalition, flush with money earned from war profiteering. Yet it has only been in existence for a short period of time and it is finding that the outbreak of peace is hurting its bottom line.History

Before the War the Coalition didn't exist, least not in the form it does today. It was once the United Provinces under the rule of King Francis IV, an anxious man constantly worrying about external threats to his country even though the true threat came from within. Whilst the King made every effort to stay on friendly terms with his country's neighbours, a group of merchants and industrialists were plotting to remove him since they viewed him as a barrier to making their country (rather them) prosperous. When the Great Darmonican War broke out King Francis declared his country to be neutral and placed restrictions on exports, basic foodstuff and some luxury goods were generally allowed but resources that would help a country's war effort weren't. Even though the King took these steps to ensure the safety of his country the plotters saw it as the last straw.

Having effective control over the United Provinces' legislative body the Council, either by having their own members or having brought others, the plotters made their move. A Motion of No Confidence was passed against the King, something that the plotters won with a one sided vote and effectively removed the King from power. King Francis was made a broken man and spent the last few years of his life in a deep depression in exile moaning the lost of his beloved country. The Council, now free to run the country as it sought fit, set about deregulating industry and transforming the country.

Now known as the Coalition, the Council sent feelers out to the various combatants in the War and worked out trade agreements. The combatants would gain greater access to the Coalition's resources for their war efforts, however the shipments would be guarded by Coalition soldiers and sanctions would be made against those who tried attacking these shipments. After the Coalition made its points after it initial trade convoys were ambushed it was left alone, view as a necessary evil by the various powers involved in the war. The Coalition was able to build up a vast fortune, building up its industry to produce war materials. With the end of the War there was little need for the Coalition's products, as it profits fell the Coalition sought to shift its industry towards producing peacetime goods which slowed and stabilized the fall in profit. But the Coalition was not forgotten how the coin flowed during the War and it eager to see the return of conflict.

Present Day

The Coalition is a heavily industrialized nation, largely intact following the end of the War. No longer able to make vast amount of coin on war profiteering the Coalition has been forced to refocus its industry in order to keep the coin flowing. It has established a colony called Port Capital in Alyeska, where it has mounted expeditions into the Wulflands in search of Ancient Terran ruins. Elsewhere agents from the External Audit Department work towards igniting other conflicts, simply so that their masters can war profiteer again. Asset Retention Bureau operatives hunt down and recover stolen Coalition property and secrets by any means necessary, they are also tasked with gaining non-Coalition assets of interest by similar means.